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Official Statement from the Isabella County Sheriff's Department

January 17, 2013 —

At 10:05 p.m. last evening, Isabella County Central Dispatch received a 911 call from a female that stated she had been kidnapped and had jumped out of a car. When deputies arrived, it was determined that she had been abducted at gunpoint from the CMU campus. The male suspect, who was later identified as a 30 year old Mount Pleasant resident, then drove her to a home on S. Crawford Rd., where he bound her and sexually assaulted her.

He then put her back in the car, retrieved 2 gas cans, got in the car and began driving. While they were driving, the suspect told the victim that he was going to take her life. After hearing that, the victim jumped out of the car and ran to a residence on S. Mission Rd. yelling for help. A resident at the home let her in and immediately locked the door. While she was on the phone with 911, the male suspect ended up pouring gasoline on the house and then lit it on fire. There were 4 individuals in the home at the time.

The suspect then fled the scene. One of the homeowners arrived home soon after and was able to put the fire out. Law enforcement agencies in the Lower Peninsula were notified of the incident and were given a description of the vehicle.

A search warrant was obtained for the residence where the sexual assault occurred and evidence was collected.

Several hours later, we were notified by Regional Dispatch in Gaylord that the vehicle we were looking for just rammed a Michigan State Police Trooper.

The suspect fled the scene, stole a sanitation truck and then rammed another Michigan State Police Trooper. A short while later, a Crawford County Deputy located the sanitation truck and the suspect ended up hitting the deputy's car head on. The deputy then got out of the patrol car, ran up to the cab of the pickup and fired shots, fatally wounding the suspect.

The Michigan State Police will be investigating the incidents that occurred in Otsego and Crawford counties.

I would like to thank the CMU Police, Michigan State Police, Shepherd Police, Tribal Police and the Isabella County Emergency Services Team for their assistance in handling this very tragic incident.

The case remains under investigation by the Isabella County Sheriff's Department and the CMU Police Department.